Easter Weekend

When we got back from New York, it was time to think about Easter.

We decorated cookies:

On Saturday, we went to a friend's parents' house for an Easter egg hunt. They've done this for several years, and it's always a good time.







On Sunday, we went to church and then hosted about 40 people from our Sunday school class for Easter lunch. We had wonderful weather and a great time! Unfortunately, we didn't get a family picture this year, but I got a few of the kids.






Just wanted proof of Isabel eating peas:

New York City Day 4

Our last day in the city was another busy one. We went to the Empire State Building in the morning. I enjoyed the views of the city, but I think the kids had a harder time appreciating them because it was much harder for them to see over the railing and wall. There are some places where the wall is lower, so they could see but the adults definitely enjoyed it more than the kids.

Here are some pictures from the 86th floor:


Central Park is behind the first row of tall buildings:
The Brooklyn Bridge is the bridge in the back:


Then, we headed to Times Square and an absolutely huge Toys R Us. We rode the ferris wheel and enjoyed looking at all of the Lego displays, super heroes, and the tyrannosaurus rex.



We grabbed some lunch in Times Square and then headed to Central Park. We had a really good time there. The only negative was that the carousel was closed for renovations, so I'm really glad we did the ferris wheel at Toys R Us.


Isabel had a ritual. She would walk on the beam:

climb up the tall ladder and act nervous:
finally go down the slide. Then, she'd do it all over again:


Pierce discovered these rocks and the kids LOVED climbing around on them. It was so hard to get them to leave.
After we left the park, we took our time heading back to the hotel, rested, and then enjoyed one last taste of New York style pizza at Lombardi's. It was also delicious.

We all had a great time in New York, and I'm so glad we went. With the new baby coming, I don't know when we would have had the opportunity to go in the near future. However, after having done it and learning a lot, I don't think we will venture into a big city until the youngest child is at least six years old. Madelyn did pretty well with all of the walking, but Pierce struggled to keep up a lot, and it really exhausted us all. I was also reminded that, generally speaking, big cities are family unfriendly. It doesn't matter if it's D.C., Rome, or New York. That's why God gave us the suburbs.

Thanks for the memories, Big Apple. We'll be back in six or more years.

New York City Day 3, Part 2

After we finished our Statue of Liberty adventure, we took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge. We were quite ambitious and decided to walk across the bridge and eat lunch at a "famous" pizza place in Brooklyn, Grimaldi's. Had it not been so windy, the walk would have been pretty pleasant. It was extremely windy, though, and we really hoofed it for the most part. Every now and then, the wind would die down, and we would stop and enjoy the view. Pierce spent most of the walk in JD's arms. So glad JD has been working out!!!

The Chrysler Building:

A random view from the bridge:

Sweet boy:

The Empire State Building from the Brooklyn Bridge:

Our reward after the long walk:

We took a cab back to the hotel. After resting at the hotel, we ate some leftover pizza and went to Dylan's Candy Bar. I've never seen so much candy in one place. We let the kids get a little bit and got some ice cream, too.:

New York City Day 3, Part 1

On Monday morning, we went to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. It was sooooo windy, which made it a little difficult to walk around and enjoy it, but we made the best of it. The kids were very excited and liked the ferry ride over to Liberty Island. I had been to the Statue of Liberty before, but I appreciated more this time. It really is an amazing structure, and the Lady looks so proud and firm, like she is proud of and ready to defend our great country.

Here are a few close ups with the older kids (Isabel was not in the mood to be still) and one just of the statue:


Then, we got back on the ferry and headed over to Ellis Island. We only stayed on Ellis Island for about 30 minutes. Madelyn enjoyed a brief history lesson, but the other kids were struggling.

Here are some pictures from the ferry ride from Liberty Island to Ellis Island:

Freedom Tower:

I just love this picture. It's almost like the Statue of Liberty is watching over the building of Freedom Tower. It just makes me proud:

Isn't she lovely?: